Bay Village

The Bay Village City Council has completed a revision of the Chapter 505 "Animal and Fowl" ordinances, which includes the ordinances governing dogs in Bay Village. To establish a more effective remedy to prevent serious dog attacks, the Bay Village City Council has added the category of “nuisance dog” to the existing categories of “vicious dog” and “dangerous dog.”

A “vicious dog” is a dog which, without provocation, has killed or caused serious injury to any person. A “dangerous dog” is a dog which, without provocation, caused injury, other than killing or serious injury, to any person, or killed another dog, cat or other domestic animal while off the premises of the owner.

When he took the podium last May for his first State of the City address, Bay Village Mayor Paul Koomar didn’t have much to look back upon. He was five months into finishing the final year of retired Mayor Debbie Sutherland’s term. The accomplishments of the previous year, during which he served as City Council president, mainly belonged to Sutherland’s administration. Koomar’s presentation focused heavily on the future, not the past.

After spending a full year in office and winning election to his own four-year term by a comfortable margin in November, Koomar had a lot more to talk about this year. Addressing a modest audience of Bay Village residents gathered at the Dwyer Senior Center on March 28, the mayor shared the successes of his administration in 2017 and tracked the city’s progress along the roadmap he began to envision those first few months in office.

As with most things, technology improves the way we function. Unfortunately, a lot of technological improvements just make for more annoying distractions. For the City of Bay Village, they found an improvement that can actually improve focus on the task at hand.

On Dec. 1, 2017, through the work of City Council and their revered clerk, Joan Kemper, Bay Village began utilizing the online municipal code service by Municode. Prior to, Bay Village held their municipal code online, but its function was lacking in search ability and usefulness.

With the Municode platform, Bay Village employees, members of Council, and residents can search ordinances quickly and efficiently while also drawing from more than 3,200 other municipalities that are hosted by Municode. If you’re wondering which farm animals are permitted in Bay Village (sorry, none) and compare it to what Maui County, Hawaii, allows – now you can!

Bay Village Mayor Paul Koomar, his administration and heads of the city’s boards and commissions held an organizational meeting Jan. 8 to brief City Council members on 2017 activities and plans for the coming year. The three-hour discussion, held at 583 Bistro, was the second such meeting since Koomar took office in January 2017.

“We did this last year with the boards and commissions and found it very helpful to integrate and talk amongst one another. Especially this year ... we have three new council members so we thought it would be important to continue that practice,” Koomar said.

Bay Village has a full ballot this election season, and the city’s chapter of the League of Women Voters is working hard to ensure that voters have all the information they need. First up is the Sept. 12 primary election, which will narrow a field of 10 candidates in three City Council races.

The top two candidates each in Wards 2, 3 and 4 will move on to the general election on Nov. 7, where they will be joined by candidates vying for mayor, Ward 1 and council-at-large. Council president and board of education seats are also expiring this year, but those candidates will be unopposed in the general election.

Bay Village Mayor Paul Koomar presented a proclamation on June 5 to Martha Krebs, in recognition of her 15 years on the Civil Service Commission. Krebs, who was joined by members of her family for the proclamation in City Council chambers, was appointed to the volunteer post in 2002 and reappointed for two additional terms.

“It’s been a really enjoyable way to be involved in the community,” said Krebs.

Thomas Wynne was appointed to complete Krebs’ term, which expires Jan. 24, 2020.

Bay Village’s annual State of the City address had a different feel this year, with a new voice and new venue from years past.

In his first major presentation as mayor, Paul Koomar shared his perspective on the highlights of last year’s administration, helmed by former Mayor Deborah Sutherland and interim Mayor Gary Ebert. Mayor Koomar, who previously served as City Council president, took over on Jan. 1 to fill the remaining year of Sutherland’s term.

In a break from tradition, the May 31 address was presented not to members of the West Shore Chamber of Commerce, but to Bay residents gathered at the Dwyer Senior Center.

Mayor Koomar’s address spotlighted the achievements of the city’s departments in 2016, but the emphasis of the speech was on the future.

Do you have it in you to be mayor? President of City Council? Maybe a member of City Council or the Board of Education? This could be your year!

Seven of the eight Bay Village city offices will be up for election in November. In addition, three Bay Village Board of Education seats are open. Bay's elections are nonpartisan: your party membership, if any, is irrelevant. A primary election is used only to narrow the field for city offices to two candidates. If needed, it will be held on Sept. 12. The general election is Nov. 7.

To increase candidate visibility and help voters gather the information they need, Bay's League of Women Voters chapter will hold candidate forums and produce voter guides.

Bay Village’s extended mayoral transition came to a logical conclusion on Jan. 1, when Paul Koomar was sworn in as the city’s 22nd mayor. Koomar, who has served as City Council president since 2011, was first in line under the city charter to succeed former Mayor Deborah Sutherland.

Most on City Council and in the administration were taken aback when Sutherland announced her retirement last September, setting off a scramble to maintain stability during the transition. Koomar expressed interest in taking over as mayor, but cited professional obligations that prevented him from making any immediate decisions.

Law Director Gary Ebert was appointed interim mayor by City Council on Sept. 6, 2016. At that time, Koomar left open the possibility that he would eventually accept the position of mayor. “Right now my work commitments, as I consider this position, would be in effect on Oct. 1 when I would leave to be mayor,” Koomar said during the City Council meeting that evening. “I’ve got to continue to look at that but the city’s got to operate and continue to move forward. We need to make sure that the city finishes strong this year.”

To establish an effective remedy to address a serious initial dog attack as occurred this past summer, the Bay Village City Council revised ordinance section 505.01 regarding animals running at large. While the revised ordinance has the same running-at-large prohibitions as the prior ordinance, the revised ordinance has escalating penalties which provides Bay Village with broad authority to deter a future dog attack.

The running-at-large restrictions prohibit the owner of a dog, cat or other animal from allowing the animal to remain upon any public street or on any city park except under the reasonable control of a responsible person. The ordinance further requires that, while on private property, the animal be contained on the private property and not allowed to cross outside the property line.

Bay Village City Council voted on Sept. 6 to appoint Gary Ebert as interim mayor of the city to ease the transition following Mayor Debbie Sutherland’s retirement on Sept. 30. Ebert, who has served as law director since 1986 and also spent two terms as a Ward 4 councilman, was acting mayor in 2000 when former Mayor Tom Jelepis resigned. The decision allows the city to move forward on critical projects under an experienced hand.

City Council President Paul Koomar, who is first in the line to succeed Sutherland, as laid out in the city charter, said he is still considering the position but doesn’t want to rush a decision.

“I think it’s just going to take a little time for me to work through a decision and all of the factors that go along with that,” Koomar said. “I still have some variables out there, but I think it would be a great opportunity.”

In spring of 2016, the City of Bay Village completed renovations to the existing City Hall parking lot. The project was intended to reduce rain water run‐off and reduce pollutants such as salt, oils, suspended solids and metals from entering into the storm sewer system that impact aquatic life in Cahoon Creek and Lake Erie, while educating the residents and visitors to Bay Village about viable, sustainable storm water management alternatives.

This project was supported and financed in part through a grant from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) under the provisions of the Surface Water Improvement Fund (SWIF). The City received $120,000 to be used toward these improvements as part of the SWIF Grant.

The deer population has been a topic of discussion in Bay Village for several years. Numerous public meetings have been held, various points of view have been expressed and City Council has received a great deal of input from constituents on the subject.

On June 27, City Council, in consultation with the Mayor, passed a resolution establishing a series of milestones and timelines leading to the development of a comprehensive deer population management plan for the City of Bay Village.

This resolution documents Council’s concern that the deer population is negatively affecting public health and safety, primarily through motor vehicle accidents. The number of accidents involving deer has been growing steadily in recent years, increasing threefold from 11 in 2010 to 33 in 2015. In addition to reported accidents, the city’s service department also picked up 36 deer carcasses last year – some of which may have arisen from unreported accidents. Accidents involving deer can result in injuries, medical expenses, vehicle repair costs and duress for all involved.

Gary Ebert walked into a packed council chambers on May 16, unaware that he was the evening’s guest of honor. When the audience erupted in applause at his entrance, he glanced around and saw faces from all areas of his life – colleagues from his law firm, former city officials, family and friends. Gary’s wife, Pam, pictured above left, who was one of the party’s co-conspirators along with Clerk of Council Joan Kemper, came around the dais to pin a boutonniere on his suit. His children and grandchildren from out of town embraced him with hugs.

Bay Village was hit hard by the recession, enduring the double whammy of decreased tax revenues and state funding cuts by trimming expenses and reducing staff. Mayor Debbie Sutherland has maintained that there is hope on the horizon as the economy recovers. In her annual State of the City address to the West Shore Chamber of Commerce on April 19, Sutherland reiterated that confidence, this time sharing economic indicators that support her optimism.

While a rise in tax collection has provided some “breathing room,” the city looks to take advantage of all possible resources – increasing the efficiency of city operations, partnering with neighboring communities and relying on the volunteerism of residents.

On March 23, Bay Village City Council unanimously voted on and approved the City’s 2016 Budget, doing so on three full readings. Budget discussions first commenced in early fourth quarter 2015, and as required by Ohio law, we, like other cities, were mandated to finalize our budget and annual appropriations ordinance by end of calendar first quarter.

Council worked closely with City Administration officials to prepare, present and adopt a budget which balanced revenues with expenses, was considerate of the growing capital needs of the City, and provided flexibility throughout the 2016 year.

With installation scheduled to begin in the near future, representatives from local organizations and businesses received public recognition at the Oct. 5 Bay Village City Council meeting. Ward 4 Councilman Tom Henderson, chair of the Recreation and Park Improvements committee, was a strong supporter of the project since the initial proposal by Bay residents Barry Tyo and Clete Miller.

The $11,000 needed to purchase and install equipment for three outdoor fitness stations along the Cahoon Park walking trail was donated to the city by The Bay Village Foundation, Bay Village Kiwanis, Highland Consulting Associates, Arthur's Shoe Tree, Perfect Fit Health Club and O’Neill Healthcare.

Bay Village voters in May approved an "opt-out" natural gas aggregation program for our community by a record-setting 87 percent margin. The program will soon be available to all residents and small businesses in the city.

The theory behind aggregation is simple: By using bulk purchasing power, greater savings can be passed on to our residents and businesses. Through an aggregation program, our residents will join together with 200 other communities to negotiate better prices and consumer protections.

Without aggregation, individual households are responsible for selecting a natural gas supplier that would not offer the same low pricing and protections available from an aggregation. Our new natural gas aggregation will work in a similar manner to the electric aggregation approved by Bay Village voters in 2010.

The Bay Village City Hall microphone project moved another step closer to completion at City Council's June 29 meeting, when Claire Banasiak, chair of LWV-Greater Cleveland's Bay Village chapter, presented a check for $10,000 to Council President Paul Koomar. The total cost of the project, which is expected to be completed by early fall, is estimated at $16,000.

High-quality microphones will be purchased for Council chambers and for the conference room where committee meetings are held. As noted in the LWV's presentation letter, by accepting the gift, the City agrees to install and maintain the system and to "record all open meetings and make recordings available to the public at no charge through the city web site for both listening and download."

Karen Lieske, Ward 3 Bay Village City Council representative, invites residents of the ward to join her for a town hall meeting on Tuesday, April 14, at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Bay Village City Hall.

Come find out what City Council has done recently, ask questions and meet other Ward 3 residents. Information will be shared about the property management program and the Heritage Home Program. We will talk while we enjoy homemade baked goods.

As sewer pipes under a city age, they require inspection to find and prevent problems, such as infiltration between the storm and sanitary lines. Under Environmental Protection Agency regulations, cities must maintain and repair their sewer systems to prevent fines from the federal agency.

A new piece of equipment recently purchased by the city of Bay Village will address these issues and make the examination process quicker and more accurate. And, at the same time, save the city money. The city’s service department has added a sewer inspection truck that incorporates two wheeled units mounted with video cameras that can be sent down into the sewer lines through manholes and crawl along the city’s sewer pipes.

The Bay Village Tree Commission is back in action with a new board of volunteers appointed by Mayor Debbie Sutherland. The commission is headed by returning Chairperson Dave Patzwahl and new members Patrick Graham, Liz Pim, Julia Shutt, Leo Mahoney and City Council representative Dave Tadych.

They meet monthly with city arborist Mike Polinski and secretary Jackie Moore. This group of volunteers all live in Bay Village, and they’re brimming with new enthusiasm for our urban forest!

They have a new mission and vision statement and have created a colorful new logo.

Bay Village residents will soon be able to listen to recordings of City Council meetings via the web, thanks to a $10,000 donation for microphones from Bay's chapter of the League of Women Voters.

The microphone project began a year ago in a conversation with Council President Paul Koomar about how Council could be more visible, open and transparent to citizens. Under Mr. Koomar's leadership, Council has since offered a series of town hall meetings covering timely and important topics. He also initiated posting meeting packets on the city's website, so citizens can review many of the materials behind agenda items.

Also in attendance: Fiscal Officer Renee Mahoney, District 1 County Councilman Dave Greenspan

RTA: County Council may discuss a tax increase for RTA. Much discussion of the new Clifton Boulevard shelters. Amenities encourage ridership. Lakeshore Express buses will come every 10 minutes for two hours in the AM and PM. During those hours, there will be dedicated bus lanes. Mayor Patton stated that Fairview Park is home to an RTA transfer station on Center Ridge but has received no benefits from RTA. Many residents depend on bus services and would appreciate similar shelters along Lorain Avenue. A better working relationship between Fairview Park and RTA is needed.

NOACA: Mayor Sutherland stated the Committee on House Affairs will meet Nov. 14. Geauga County may either pull out or divide its representation into urban and rural. According to Mr. Greenspan, a Columbia Road development project has been added for next funding cycle.

Thermal Sludge Conditioning: Sludge removal cost $185,000 in 2014. The local farm that has taken sludge during the warm months at $17 per wet ton will stop doing so in 2015. Alternative estimate is $22. Microwave drying is meant for smaller plants, and the resulting product retains an odor. Thermal drying will result in $200,000 increased operating costs for utilities and personnel.

UPDATE: Geoff Westerfield's discussion at the Bay Village City Council meeting has been changed to Nov. 17, as reflected below.

Urban deer are an emotional issue. Whether you want to cull the herd, save Bambi, or find a middle ground, you will want to attend two upcoming Bay Village meetings. Both are open to the public, and both feature Geoff Westerfield, Assistant Wildlife Management Supervisor for the Ohio Division of Wildlife and an expert on damage caused by deer.

On Wednesday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m. at the Bay Village Branch Library, Mr. Westerfield will speak at the Bay Chapter League of Women Voters' meeting regarding the types of problems deer present for urban communities, factors to consider when managing deer, and techniques available to residents within the City's current parameters.

On Monday, Nov. 17, at 8 p.m. in City Hall, Bay Village City Council will host Mr. Westerfield to discuss the state's role in helping cities assess and manage deer populations. This has become a hot topic since neighboring Avon Lake passed legislation allowing culling of deer by archery under certain conditions.

Have you ever wondered how Bay Village decides when to buy a new ladder truck for the fire department? How many new police cruisers will we buy over the next five years? How much would reorganizing the police department save? What's next up for improvements to the pool or Play in Bay? Which of Bay's 47 miles of roadway will be resurfaced next summer? Is Community Services planning any new programs? Will any taxes or fees need to be raised to pay for it all?

On Sept. 30, Bay Village City Council Members Paul Vincent (Ward 2) and Karen Lieske (Ward 3) held a town hall meeting at the Community House. We would like to sincerely thank everyone that came out to discuss the various topics covered that evening.

We discussed everything from tax revenue to deer control to recording Council meetings. We enjoyed the lively conversation with residents that led to a number of very helpful ideas and we appreciate the many comments about how to improve our beautiful city. We look forward to having another town hall in the very near future and hope to see even more of you there.

Deer. For many residents of Bay Village, that word elicits an emotional reaction. Some think of damage to their landscaping or remember when a loved one was injured in a deer-vehicle accident and wonder why the city isn’t “doing something.” Others think of the cute fawns in their back yard last spring or remember the joy of feeding them crabapples and wonder how anyone could ever consider “killing these beautiful creatures.”

It’s an emotional issue, but there are facts and research on the matter about which informed citizens should be aware. One way of framing the discussion is to focus on three key questions: Do we have a problem? If so, what should we do about it? Finally, how do we make sure our choices are safe, effective, and humane?

Do we have a problem?

Experts at the Cleveland Metroparks hold that a “deer problem” exists when the number of deer in a given area exceeds the environment’s ability to support them.

The City of Bay Village has hired Leslie Selig as its new director of community services, replacing Debbie Bock who left in July after accepting a position as head of Rocky River's senior center. Ann Orin served as the department's interim director until Selig's hiring.

Selig will bring her expertise in working with the elderly to her new position. She owned a senior home care business for the past five years, focused on keeping seniors safe and independent in their homes as long as possible.

This report, which contains observations and selected highlights, is not an official statement of the League of Women Voters. Official minutes are prepared by Mayor Clough's office.

[Brief background: In July 2013, the four JIC cities received a $100,000 grant from the Local Government Innovation Fund for the Westshore Regional Fire District Phase Two Feasibility Study, to be completed by July 2015. The original study, conducted by Emergency Services Consulting International (ESCI), was completed in October 2010.]

Mayor Sutherland began the meeting by stating that the purpose of the $100,000 state grant is to hire a project manager to oversee the feasibility of implementing the ESCI recommendations, which range from collaborative efforts to operational efficiencies up to possible fire district consolidation. In her understanding, acceptance of the grant did not require consolidation.

Bay Village’s mayor and several department directors spent a week at the end of July attending a boot camp focused on getting lean. No, it wasn’t a warmup for the healthy-city initiative that is expected to launch next January. This was an intensive, practical training session aimed at helping public sector employees streamline their operations and reduce wasted time, effort and resources.

The LeanOhio Boot Camp, conducted by Cleveland State’s Levin College of Urban Affairs, offers government-specific examples and exercises to illustrate the principles of “Lean” and “Six Sigma.” These continuous-improvement methods focus on cutting red tape, improving efficiency and eliminating “non-value added activities.” The goal is to make government processes “simpler, faster, better and less costly,” according to the state’s LeanOhio office website.

In 1990, the Federal Highway Administration described bicycling and walking as “the forgotten modes of transportation.” Between the years 1980 and 1990, the number of people in the U.S. utilizing these two forms of transportation for commuting dropped from a combined 6.7 percent to 4.4 percent. This was attributed to a lack of planning, policy, funding and engineering by the federal, state and local governments.

Efforts to update Bay's Attached Residence (townhouse) ordinance are currently focused on easing regulations for land abutting retail and commercial districts. Townhouses are already permitted within retail and commercial districts, which include the Dover Center corridor, the corner of Columbia and Eaton Way, and the southeast corner of Clague Parkway. Requirements for other residential areas – which include a 5-acre minimum – will likely stay the same, at least for now.

At their latest meetings, members of the Planning Commission and City Council's Planning Committee expressed the hope that more realistic requirements would encourage new development. Attractive new development, in turn, would reduce neighborhood resistance to townhouses in other areas of the city.

This report, which contains observations and selected highlights, is not an official statement of the League of Women Voters. Official minutes are posted on the City of Bay Village website.

Chairman James Potter called the fourth Commission meeting of the year to order at 5 p.m. Present were members Martha Krebs and Dr. Dennis Lekan, Police Chief Mark Spaetzel and secretary Joan Kemper.

After approving the minutes of the prior meeting, the Commission reviewed Rules 1 through 6 of "The Rules and Regulations of The Bay Village Civil Service Commission – Revised March/1992." The purpose of the review is to ensure it is current.

On Monday, March 31, at 7:30 p.m., the City of Bay Village will be holding a town hall meeting at the Dwyer Memorial Center, 300 Bryson Lane. The goal of the town hall meeting is to inform residents on issues and 2014 projects in our town.

Sewers, rates and Bay Village’s portion of increasing costs associated with the Rocky River Wastewater Treatment Plant will be a main topic of the evening. Bay Village service director Scott Thomas and Bob Greytak of CT Consultants, consulting engineer for Bay Village, will be present to provide an overview of the plant and answer questions from the public.

This report, which contains observations and selected highlights, is not an official statement of the League of Women Voters. Official minutes will be posted on the city website.

The main agenda item was revisions to Chapter 1158, which governs attached residence (townhouse) developments.

Planning Commission chairman Bela Persanyi presented a new proposal that would define a per-unit acreage requirement, allowing smaller "pop-up" developments. For example, the previous working model allows 6-12 units per acre. Given the minimum acreage and maximum density, each townhouse development could have 15-18 units. The new model would allow roughly 6-10 units per acre, with developments of 10-15 units.

Bay Village Planning Commission meetings usually focus on the technical work of applying existing ordinances to specific projects. February's meeting began with just such a discussion of the Bay Diner's relocation to East Oviatt Road, and it moved on to approval of the Normandy and Westerly school projects.

Then something rare happened: the Planning Commission talked about rewriting rules. Attached residences (defined in Chapter 1158 of the city's codified ordinances) have been in the news since Andrew Brickman proposed building townhouses at Cahoon and Wolf. That development was tabled when the rezoning issue failed last November. With no specific project at hand, now is an ideal time to rework Chapter 1158. Much debated but never amended, it stands as written in 1974.

There is an important discussion taking place in the Bay Village Planning Commission about the character of our city. Bay's attached residence housing code (Chapter 1158) was passed in 1974 and, despite numerous proposals and untold hours of debate, it has not been amended for 40 years. The Planning Commission is now considering changes to 1158 that open the possibility of new development.

What are attached residences? Housing units that share a wall and have separate private entrances. Townhouses for sure, condos maybe, perhaps certain apartments.